


Your Heart a Shield, Mine a Blade

by Arcfire Joltik (Twilight_Joltik)



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/F, Fake Dating, Gay M!Robin, M/M, MLM WLW solidarity, Mild canon divergence, Please help Cordelia, Slow Burn, Starts after chapter 6, Why is my first idea for a story in the war torn world of this game a rom com?, actually please help all of them, why can’t I write anything that stays happy longer than a chapter or two
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-22 05:22:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13757184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilight_Joltik/pseuds/Arcfire%20Joltik
Summary: Robin loves Chrom. Maribelle loves Lissa. Chrom and Lissa wouldn’t notice someone’s feelings for them if it hit them in the face. Despite both of their complete lack of attraction to each other, Robin and Maribelle fake being together to get the attention of their crushes. This would be hard enough even without the looming threat of all out war, but with that taken into account, things can only go downhill from here.





	1. Maribelle’s Sapphic Sense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been wanting to write a real Fire Emblem fic for ages, and somehow the first I actually get the motivation to get started is a Chrobin and Lissabelle fic. I mean, as a useless lesbian myself, Maribelle is one of my favorite characters so this really shouldn’t be that surprising. This is an idea I had ages ago, but for some reason had forgotten about until now. I’m really excited to write it, though, and I hope everyone will enjoy it!

Robin had a bit of a problem. Well, he had several problems, really. For instance, he kept getting to breakfast late and finding Stahl had eaten all the potatoes despite him promising Lon’qu that he’d tell him how his cooking was turning out. And, he might or might not have known that lunatic sorcerer guy who’d attacked Emmeryn in his hazy at best past life. But honestly, neither of those really compared to his most pressing issue: Chrom.

Chrom was kind of a mess, if he was being quite honest. Good at breaking things, over-eager to help with anything, completely unaware of how people looked at him; if he hadn’t been told it so many countless times, Robin wouldn’t have believed this guy was royalty at all. But, worse than even his tendency to charge into battle without any regard for his own safety was the simple fact that he was just so damn likeable. As much as Robin tried- and dear Naga did he ever try- he’d been unable to find a single thing to hate about the guy.

That shouldn’t be a problem. Liking your leader should be good, right? Robin thought that right up until after the siege of the Ylissean palace, when he was laying in bed processing the crazy night. When he remembered how that Marth lady had saved him from an assassin, his heart twisted. Chrom could have been killed, or at least seriously hurt! Why was that scarier than the peril Emmeryn had been in, or the fact he was sure he knew that sorcerer, or how they had somehow managed to get a thief on their side by bribing him with candy?

After some pondering, Robin came to a terrifying conclusion: he was freaked out by that because he loved Chrom. Not just selfless friendship camaraderie loved him, but wanted to kiss his stupid face capital-L Loved him. Loved a prince, a royal, another man. Someone out of his league in eighteen different ways at last count.

Similarly, this also meant he wasn’t… straight, he supposed. Considering he’d barely even been able to recall his own name, it wasn’t surprising that he’d forgotten this, had he known before at all and hadn’t much time or reason to think about it until now. Still, it left several questions in his mind. Did he like women at all? What about people who didn’t identify as either? Chrom was the first person he knew for certain he had any romantic feelings towards, so he didn’t really know even how to figure out if he was strictly attracted to men or not.

Gods, his head was a mess. Just laying in bed wasn’t doing him any good, so perhaps a walk would help him more. Quietly, he snuck out of his room and down the halls of the castle that Emmeryn has insisted they stay at after the attack, trying to remember where the courtyard was. To the left, right?

He started that way but froze as he heard footsteps. His heart started racing and he reached to the tome he’d brought with him just in case any Risen happened to be outside, but halted as he saw who it was. The distinctive silhouette of Maribelle came into view, and he let out a relieved breath. She was on guard duty- something she’d insisted to take up that night without giving a reason, but it was clear as day it was born from guilt at having sort of started this whole affair with that border mess. It wasn’t her fault, as everyone from her precious Lissa to Emmeryn herself had told her, since Plegia had been trying to find any excuse possible to stir up trouble for ages, but he didn’t blame her for feeling bad about it.

Waving at her with an attempt at a friendly smile, Robin tried to think of a good excuse to ask where the courtyard was. Say he’d dropped something there during the assassin thing? Yeah, that worked.

“Good evening,” Maribelle greeted quietly and curtly. “Might I ask what you’re doing up at this hour?”

“Uh, I le- dropped something in the courtyard,” he stuttered out, really not helping his cause at all. “You know, when Chrom almost died.”

In the faint moonlight coming from the hall’s massive windows, he could see Maribelle smirking in a way that seemed as natural as breathing for someone like herself. “Oh, did you now? Well, I do believe Sumia has lost our little bet.”

“B-bet?”, Robin pressed, not quite having been able to process the meaning of that but having a sinking feeling it meant he’d been found out. “What do you mean?”

“Might I accompany you to the courtyard?”, Maribelle asked with a smile more fake than Lissa’s when she most certainly did not have a toad hidden in that bag she was holding.

Robin didn’t trust this, or Maribelle in general for that matter, but what other choice did he have without looking even more suspicious? Besides, he didn’t know where it was, so it wasn’t even really unhelpful. “Sure, you lead the way,” he conceded.

Going in the exact opposite way Robin had been headed, Maribelle hummed a little tune as she walked that he couldn’t quite place but felt he’d heard before. Down a flight of stairs, and they got to the courtyard where Marth had saved Chrom earlier that evening, complete with a few stray marks left over from the incident.

“So,” Maribelle started, dropping the smug smile. “It is Chrom that’s caught your eye, is it not?”

His heart twisted. “H-how did you know?”, he questioned. “I hadn’t even known myself until about an hour ago.”

“I have an eye for these sorts of things,” Maribelle assured him. “Sumia calls it my ‘Gaydar’, but I’d prefer to call it a Sapphic Sense.”

“Wait, you’re-?”

She nodded. “I would be sorely offended if you thought otherwise,” she stated matter-of-factly. “I mean, far too many people simply assume I am without thought, but I would think you of all people would take the time to ponder it.”

“Sorry to say I hadn’t,” Robin admitted. “Though, if I had, I do think I’d have reached that conclusion. Your attachment to Lissa is certainly hard to just call platonic.”

A smile, one without any ire that almost looked foreign on her face, came with that observation. “Precisely. See, I knew Virion was wrong about you being a trash tactician. You notice some things!”

“Wait, Virion said what about me?”, he questioned.

Maribelle waved a hand as if to physically dismiss the subject. “Nothing that matters. That man is plainly obnoxious and even less perspective than yourself.”

That was fairly obviously code for Virion having hit on her. Robin snickered at the thought of the verbal lashing that would have led to. “So, you and me both… anyone else in our little troupe?”

“What do you think?”, Maribelle questioned with a wink.

Robin tried to think. “Well, you mentioned Sumia talking about such things casually so if I had to guess, I’d say her, and Sully and Lon’qu as well.”

“Very good!”, Maribelle praised. “Though, Sully could go for anyone so long as they could hold their own against her in combat, and Lon’qu isn’t interested in anyone at all.”

That all made a great deal of sense. Sully had many admirers of all kinds, so it wouldn’t be shocking to hear that some of them she admired back, while he genuinely couldn’t picture Lon’qu being greatly affectionate to anyone. But, he’d forgotten an obvious one, right? “What about your girlfriend, she swing both ways or just yours?”

Maribelle turned bright red and squeaked a bit. “N-no, that’s not- darling Lissa… isn’t aware of my feelings.”

Seriously? How could she not be, they were as plain to see as a bonfire in an empty field! But, he supposed if anyone was entirely oblivious of something so obvious, it would be Lissa. “I… see. Uh, so, anyone else I should know about?”

A little sigh escaped Maribelle’s lips, clearly of relief for the subject change. “Well, I have my suspicions about the Taguel and the thief that joined us tonight, but I’ve yet to confirm anything.”

Robin raised an eyebrow. “Already? But we’ve barely even spoken to either of them!”

“I told you, I have a sense about these things,” Maribelle assured him. “Besides, I’ve studied Taguel culture before. They’re far more, for want of a better word, lax about sexuality. It’d frankly be more out of the ordinary for Miss Panne to be heterosexual! Not to mention she was rather blushy around our fair Exalt.”

“Okay, so I wasn’t the only one to see that,” Robin remarked. He’d not exactly been in the headspace to pay it much mind, but he’d definitely noticed Panne seemed a bit flustered when talking to Emmeryn. “Good. And come to think of it, I kinda got that off of Gaius too.”

Maribelle giggled. “How unfortunate it would be for you if those sweets weren’t the only candy he joined us for!”

Right. Chrom. It was Robin’s turn to blush as hot as an Elfire blast. “I mean, it’s hopeless no matter what I do,” he remarked. “Maybe Gaius would give me a chance instead.”

“Don’t you dare speak like that!”, Maribelle exclaimed. “Love will never be hopeless until the moment you give up on it!”

“You think so?”, Robin questioned, holding back a defeated laugh. “Right, so marrying the next in line if Emmeryn doesn’t last the war is plausible, got it.”

He was only met with a glare that could probably kill a man. “I will not allow that kind of talk. Considering Chrom thinks Sumia likes him and doesn’t know that Cordelia does, I don’t think anything’s off the table with him. He’s about as perspective as a bag of bricks, so it’s perfectly plausible he could be head over heels for you and just not know it yet!”

The idea made Robin’s innards squirm. “B-but he’s a prince!”, he squeaked out.

“And Lissa is a princess,” Maribelle countered. “But I would never give up my love for her! If it wasn’t for that feeling, I would never be able to muster the strength to fight in a conflict like this! It’s the knowledge that she would be risking her life selflessly without any regard for herself that makes me able to do the same, because if it wasn’t for me, she might not make it home! Even if it comes to pass that when this war has ended that she rides off into the sunset with someone else, so long as she’s happy and safe, then my love will have been worth any tears shed for its sake!”

Robin smiled a bit. “Wow, that’s actually really sweet,” he remarked, choosing to hold back the “for you” part of that thought. “So, you think my love for Chrom would be like that; able to protect him and stuff?”

“Of course!”, Maribelle exclaimed. “Love is the most powerful force of change there is! King Marth and Queen Caeda, their love for each other allowed them to fight valiantly for each other and create a world where they could be happy in peace. But, Lady Catria loves King Marth as well, and even though that love didn’t better her own life, her determination to fight for him led her to be a crucial part of building that better world as well.”

“Great, so I’m gonna suffer but the world’s gonna be better for it,” Robin remarked. “How wonderful.”

Maribelle huffed. “Are you even listening to me? I’m not saying you’re the Catria of this tale, I’m saying that regardless of if you’re her or Caeda, your feelings are precious and you can’t dismiss them as hopeless or useless!”

That registered a bit better with him. “Our bonds are crucial,” he repeated. “So, matter what happens, it’s important that I don’t run from my feelings?”

“Finally!”, Maribelle exclaimed. “I take back what I said about you being clever; you’re as thick as your Prince Charming!”

Robin couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, you’re as enthusiastic as your princess.”

“Thank you very much,” Maribelle stated. “I hope to reflect some of her lovely flame.”

“So… do we just wait and see?”, Robin questioned. “Be patient about our love?”

Maribelle hummed a bit. “Well, I mean,” she started oddly slowly. “There’s… something we could do. It’s what I wanted to talk to you about, but I got a bit off track.”

“Oh?”

“We’re both in love with, and I don’t mean this as any offense to either of them, two people who are painfully ignorant to the feelings of others,” Maribelle noted. “So, perhaps we could nudge them a bit in the right direction, see if that gets them to wake up and see what’s right in front of them?”

Robin nodded. “Alright, I see what you’re saying. So, we just do something that would maybe make them see us as potential partners? But, what?”

Clapping her hands together, Maribelle leaned a bit closer to Robin; so close he could see her eyes shimmering with excitement. “Simple: we make them jealous!”

“Jealous?”, Robin repeated. “How so?”

Maribelle wound a strand of hair around her finger. “We convince them we’re unavailable so their disdain at that will push them to want us so much that they won’t be able to ignore it. In other words: we pretend to date each other.”

Something about that plan sounded underhanded, but at the same time wonderful. Robin grinned as he thought about Chrom being as confused as he was when he realized he was upset at his being all lovey dovey with Maribelle. He hated to cause someone like Chrom any agony, but he also couldn’t see any other way to get him to notice. And, if it didn’t do anything towards Chrom, then what harm was there? It was a prank, almost.

But, there was one issue. “Maribelle, didn’t you say that people know you’re a lesbian?”

“About five people, maybe,” Maribelle clarified. “Lissa, towards whom confusion is the goal so that isn’t an issue, Sumia, who knows I’ve wanted to try something like this for a while, Sully and Lon’qu, who I’m sure won’t really care much and even if they do they won’t say anything to anyone else, and then Ricken, who can be bribed to keep shut pretty easily. In other words, it’s not really a problem.”

Robin nodded. “Makes sense. And no one knows about me considering I didn’t actually know myself, so I’m not a problem either.”

“Well then, it’s settled!”, Maribelle exclaimed. “We’ll tell everyone that we had a chat tonight and decided we had feelings for each other, and start being ‘together’ starting tomorrow!”

“Good night then, ‘darling’,” Robin said with a smirk. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

He started to walk off before realizing he couldn’t remember where his room was. “Uh,” he turned around. “Actually, could you walk me back to my room? You know, to make people talk.”

“Sure, ‘sweetheart’,” Maribelle said rather mockingly, taking his hand. Her hand was cold and clammy, and Robin was very sure of one thing as they walked back hand in hand.

He definitely was not attracted to women at all.

 

 


	2. Clouds and Wings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, people like this story. Heck. Time to write more I guess.

The next morning, they set out to get Emmeryn somewhere safer so early that Robin barely had time to cram an apple down his throat, let alone sit with Maribelle at breakfast and let rumors spread. Not to mention, she ended up chatting with Lissa the entire time they were walking so he didn’t have any time to act all couple-y with her. It was kind of sad, really. He’d been all fired up about it last night, but after a scant four hours of sleep and way too much walking, he couldn’t feel fired up about anything at all.

 

“Robin? Are you alright?”, Chrom questioned, falling behind a bit to walk next to him. “You seem… dead.”

 

“I feel dead,” Robin groaned without thinking. “I couldn’t sleep, I’ve barely eaten, and I have the worst headache…”

 

Chrom reached for his bag and pulled out a bread roll. “Well, I don’t know about the other two things, but this might help you with the barely eaten thing,” he offered, holding it out to Robin.

 

A smile curled around his lips as he took it. “Thank you so much,” Robin muttered, tearing into it without hesitation. Chrom had probably grabbed that for himself, but didn’t hesitate to give it to him instead. Gods, he was too nice. Thoughtful, caring, and handsome? It was a wonder he wasn’t being swooned over by everyone in Ylisse!

 

“You sure you’re alright?”, Chrom asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re all flushed now… you aren’t allergic to bread, are you?”

 

Was he blushing? Robin raised a hand to his cheek. He was definitely blushing. “O-oh, it’s nothing,” Robin insisted. “Probably just the sun, that’s all!”

 

Eyes darting to the sky, Chrom frowned. “But it’s cloudy,” he remarked.

 

“Sunlight leaks through the clouds,” Robin blurted out, searching for a good excuse.

 

“Huh,” Chrom mused. “Never knew that. Still, tell me if you need to rest, alright? I’m sure we could all use a break anyways.”

 

That was very, very tempting. But, all Robin could think about was the possibility of getting to safety just a second too late, all because he’d needed to sit down for a bit. “I’ll be fine,” he assured the prince. “Besides, if I take a nap on the ground again, who knows if I’ll wake up with any clue where I am!”

 

Chrom laughed; a sound that made Robin’s heart swell with pride at having caused it. “Well, I’ll let you know when Frederick gets tired of Lissa whining about walking so far,” he assured him before rushing back towards the front of the group.

 

Robin found himself staring at Chrom as he strode forward. Staring a bit lower than perhaps he should have been. A strangled squeak escaped him as he realized what he was doing. Naga above, he was utterly and hopelessly gay.

 

At this rate, people were going to figure out he liked Chrom before he even got to mention his supposed courtship with Maribelle. No one was gonna believe they’d started dating last night if they didn’t even talk to or about each other at all day! But, unless Maribelle was over there telling Lissa how much she “adored” him, then they were getting nowhere fast.

 

Forcing himself forward, he tried to focus on something other than his anxieties. How many Killing Edges did they have? Two, right? Lon’qu wouldn’t give his up, even if it was wearing a bit thin, and then there was a barely worn one in the Convoy. It was a waste just to leave it there since it was quite useful, but who would he give it to? Chrom didn’t really need anything but Falchion, so that left Stahl, himself, and Frederick as the other competent sword users. He certainly wasn’t quite up to using a Killing Edge himself, and Frederick probably didn’t need that to do good damage, so maybe Stahl could use it.

 

Did they have any other really good weapons that no one was using? He tried to think, but quickly got interrupted by a sudden cry.

 

His heart launched into pounding as he looked around for the source. Was it an ambush? As he scanned the area panickedly, he found the source and rolled his eyes. Sumia had just tripped again. No one seemed to pay her much mind, so he inched towards her to offer to pull her up.

 

“Oh, thank you!”, Sumia exclaimed as she took his hand. “Usually no one stops… well, unless Cordelia’s around, but she’s… well, she’s busy…”

 

Cordelia? He’d heard that name thrown around a few times- she was a royal Pegasus Knight, worked under Philia, and hadn’t Maribelle said something about her last night? He couldn’t remember what, but he certainly remembered what she’d said about Sumia herself.

 

“Sumia, may I talk to you for a bit?”, Robin requested. Sumia nodded, and the two began walking next to each other.

 

“So,” Robin started. “Maribelle told me that you and her had a bet about me.”

 

Squeaking a bit, Sumia waved her hands in front of her frantically. “I- I don’t know what you’re talking about!”, she exclaimed. “I…” She looked at Robin and sighed defeatedly upon seeing his smug grin. “Fine, we might have been trading theories on who you might… become closest to.”

 

“I know Maribelle said Chrom,” he added hushedly. “How about you?”

 

“F-Frederick…”, she mumbled. “I just- I wasn’t trying to make assumptions! He’s just, well, a lot of romance stories have the two leads not trusting each other at first…”

 

Robin couldn’t help himself; he began to snicker at the thought. “M-me and Frederick?!” He laughed so hard his stomach started to hurt and he had to stop walking to catch his breath. “Ooooh my gods, that’s just. Priceless.”

 

Sumia was bright red in embarrassment. “Sorry! I just… It was just a thought…”

 

“No, no, it’s fine,” he assured her. “I just- I mean, he’s handsome, I suppose, but I couldn’t ever imagine him being lovey dovey with anyone, let alone me!”

 

“Well, Maribelle thinks that too,” Sumia remarked. “I always figured that he just rarely developed affections, but you two might just be right.”

 

Maybe it was rarely, maybe it was never at all like Lon’qu. Either way, Robin couldn’t help but snicker at the mental image of Frederick trying to let out some gushy love confession. It was like trying to imagine a fish swimming on the land.

 

But, the more he laughed, the more Miriel cast the two of them a strange look. “A-anyways,” Robin went on, trying to change the subject to something less amusing. “Uh, Maribelle was right. I didn’t know it myself, but I finally figured it out.”

 

Sumia nodded, as if he’d just told her he’d discovered water was wet. “I was pretty sure when I first met you that you… preferred swords to tomes,” she said. Was that a common euphemism? Robin had no clue. “For one, you look pretty Plegian, and they’re a bit more open and accepting on that front.”

 

“Plegia? Really?” He’d kind of just assumed their enemy was a stronghold of despair and misery. But then again, Plegian Dark Mages did tend to dress rather… scantly. Maybe they were just sort of more sexually open in general. “I guess I can see that… If I am from Plegia, though, I don’t remember it and don’t think I discovered I preferred men while I was there.”

 

“Sorry, that was rude to assume,” Sumia apologized. “But, I mean, Ylisse is the most behind on any of that on the continent. Ferox has allowed people to marry whomever they please and as many as they please for centuries, and Plegia’s been more open since Queen Daima married a female court mage, but Lady Emmeryn’s been trying to get marriage laws through for years and still can’t get the council on her side.”

 

Robin frowned. “That seems unfair,” he remarked, feeling his heart dropping a bit. So even if he could find a man who loved him, they wouldn’t be able to wed? That was painful.

 

“Yeah…”, Sumia muttered. “But… maybe something will be done… Lady Emmeryn really wants it, so surely she’ll be able to convince them sooner or later…”

 

The two of them walked in awkward, strained silence until Robin remembered why he’d been wanting to talk to Sumia in the first place. She knew Maribelle wanted to do their plan, right? So, she was safe to talk about it to.

 

“Ah, so, Sumia,” he started. “Me and Maribelle are… well… trying out this plan she thinks is a good idea and I thought was a good idea at like, one in the morning but now I’m not so sure.”

 

“The fake dating thing?”, Sumia questioned quietly. “Yeah, I can see why you wouldn’t be so sure about it. Chrom just really doesn’t seem like the jealous type! Lissa, maybe, but not Chrom. So, it’s really more for her sake with you.”

 

“She should have held out for Gaius,” Robin groaned. “She said she thought he wasn’t straight, and I mean, she’s been right so far, so maybe he’d like someone who would get jealous.”

 

Sumia shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. But, I mean, look at it this way: you’re helping a friend while giving yourself cover so Chrom has even less of a chance of noticing you like him! Not that you probably needed help there, but…”

 

“Doesn’t Chrom think you like him or something?” Robin asked, trying to remember all Maribelle had said last night.

 

Another shrug, and Sumia glanced up at the sky. “Maybe… I feel bad, you know? Without even trying, somehow I got to be Chrom’s friend, and Cordelia’s been trying so hard to get to know him, but hasn’t gotten anywhere.”

 

“Well, just tell him that you don’t like him that way if it bugs you,” Robin advised. “And then try and set him and Cordelia up or something.”

 

Sumia grew quiet and glanced down at the ground. “You’re right… that’s what a good friend would do,” she muttered. “But… then…”

 

The pieces were coming together in his head. Sumia cared a lot about Cordelia, and said her name in a tone filled with fondness that sounded a bit too familiar. “Then you wouldn’t get a chance with her?”, Robin questioned.

 

She nodded, gulping down the sadness swimming in her eyes. “I’m such an awful person… I could make her so happy, but I’m so selfish…”

 

”It’s okay.” Robin put an arm around her. “You don’t have to do anything. It doesn’t make you selfish. If she hasn’t been able to get any closer to him, maybe that’s just not meant to be. That isn’t your fault, Sumia.”

 

Letting out a quiet sob, she nodded. “I’m sorry… I’m unloading an awful lot on you, aren’t I?”

 

“Eh, I’m here to listen,” Robin said with a shrug. “If there’s something I could do to help, let me know.”

 

“Thank you,” Sumia muttered. “I’m glad… I’m glad we’re friends… w-we are friends, right?”

 

Robin nodded. “Yeah, we’re friends.”

 

“Oh, that’s gr-”

 

Sumia’s words were cut off by a commotion from up ahead. The two of them rushed to see what it was, and saw the Hierophant and Chrom and Emmeryn all arguing over something or other. He couldn’t quite make out the words, but as he glanced around, he saw strange shadows creeping out around them.

 

As he took his sword from his sheath, one more player entered the scene. A Pegasus Knight, with red hair and armor unmistakable as Ylissean, practically dropped out of the sky on her steed. He came closer to see blood and tear tracks streaking her face, and her eyes wide with fear.

 

She looked around at the approaching enemies and with a noise between a scream and a sob, led her horse to charge towards a Barbarian, her lance driving into him effortlessly.

 

Robin knew her name even before Sumia ran to her side, shouting it.

 

“Cordelia!”


	3. Untouchable

“Healer! We need a healer!”, Sumia hollered as Cordelia stumbled off her pegasus and muttered something barely audible. “M-Maribelle, quick!”

 

Maribelle rushed over and looked over at her before shaking her head. “No, she’s pretty much fine. Her horse looks fine too.”

 

Robin looked over her himself. She had blood on her and was panting wildly, but other than that she seemed fine. He glanced over where he heard more shouting. Vaike and Donnel were going after a Barbarian. “Maribelle, go help Donnel and Vaike,” he ordered. “Sumia, you make sure Cordelia is alright. I’m going to go find Chrom and Li-“

 

He was interrupted by the shouts of the very prince he’d meant to find. “Robin! We’re under attack!”, Chrom shouted, rushing towards him, waving Falchion like a maniac. “We’re gonna have to fi- oh, Cordelia! When did you get here?”

 

Cordelia started trembling. “Th-they’re all gone…”, she mumbled. “There was so much blood… A-and Emilia…” She sobbed, and Sumia rushed to hug her and begin muttering soft reassurances, but Cordelia just shook her head. “I- I need to fight… you’re not safe…”

 

Sumia frowned. “Cordelia, you don’t need to push yourself right no-” She couldn’t even finish what she was saying before Cordelia had jumped back on her steed.

 

“You're the tactician, right?”, Cordelia questioned, eyes bloodshot but filled with flame. Robin nodded. “Tell me where to go! Who must I strike down?”

 

Robin glanced around. There was an archer over by Donnel, Vaike, and Maribelle now, so definitely not over there. “Uh, there?” He pointed towards where Sully and Miriel were fighting a Wyvern Rider. “Go help with the Wyvern Riders.”

 

As she flew off, Sumia huffed and mounted her own pegasus. “I’m helping her,” she stated plainly as if it wasn’t even remotely a question. As she rushed off, Robin found himself unable to speak until Chrom suddenly grabbed his hand.

 

“Stick with me,” the prince ordered. “If you see any of the Wyvern Riders coming over here, you blast them with your magic. I’ll cut down the Barbarians.”

 

Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his pounding heart and racing mind to just focus on the task at hand. He was glad he’d borrowed Ricken’s Elwind tome; it came in handy keeping those Wyvern Riders back. One blast of wind knocked the rider off his steed. He felt kind of bad; falling into a canyon seemed like an awful way to die. But, then again, they were trying to make the same thing happen to him and his friends, so he couldn’t feel that bad.

 

He just sort of fell into a trance as he fought. It felt as natural as breathing, especially with Chrom there behind him. Even if he didn’t know much about his old life, he knew that he’d definitely fought a fair bit. He didn’t know who with, but he figured he was probably pretty good at watching people’s backs for a reason. Maybe he’d had a sibling or a close friend that he’d protected like this?

 

Well, he supposed it didn’t matter. At least he was good enough to protect Chrom. And, in time, the enemies were all gone, and Robin felt like he could think clearly again. “Alright, how in Naga’s name did they know we were here?”, he questioned as people drifted back together.

 

“The Hierarch sold us out,” Frederick explained, approaching him with his hands behind his back. “Don’t worry, their commander figured it was easier to kill him than pay up. He’s taken care of now.”

 

“And what about Em?”, Chrom asked, looking around. “I- I don’t see her?”

 

Frederick sighed. “She’s with Captain Philia. She… went back to Ylisstol.”

 

“What??”, Lissa demanded loudly, marching up to Frederick with a death glare. “She’d be safer here!”

 

“Clearly she wasn’t,” Frederick stated with a sigh.

 

“B-but… the traitor isn’t here now!”, Chrom countered. “She’ll be safe now!”

 

Frederick just sighed. “I’m sorry, milord, and to you too milady. She knew you two would disagree, but… well, I suspect this was her plan from the start.”

 

“Why would you think that?”, Chrom almost shouted. “Why would she do that?”

 

All Frederick did was hand Chrom what he’d been holding behind his back: the Fire Emblem and a sealed letter. “Oh…”, Chrom muttered. “She… wanted to protect this… s-stupid piece of metal!”

 

Robin couldn’t make out much else of what they said. Chrom and Lissa were crying and shouting and Frederick was barely holding back from doing the same.

 

This wasn’t his place. This was their pain, not his. As much as he wanted to try and comfort Chrom, he didn’t feel he was the person to do it. He was just some guy he’d known for a few weeks. Some idiot he found on the ground. He couldn’t breach that barrier, not now. He needed the people he’d known for his whole life right now.

 

So, he slunk back and tried to find somewhere else to be. Maribelle was rushing to comfort her darling Lissa, so he decided to see if Sumia was alright. He figured she’d be busy with Cordelia, but instead he found her alone, sitting on the ground and crying.

 

“You alright?”, he asked her, slinking down to sit next to her. She just shook her head, so he offered a hug.

 

Sumia began crying into his shoulder. “Wh-why won’t Cordelia let me help her?”, she wailed. “She told me that her whole squadron got shot down, and I know she needs to just let herself mourn and I could help comfort her, but she just told me to leave her alone so sh-she could assess wounds!”

 

Robin awkwardly patted her back. “Well, some people mourn differently than others,” he suggested. “Maybe she just needs to distract herself for now, and you can help her later?”

 

“B-but she always does this!”, Sumia exclaimed. “She never lets herself be upset, e-even when she really n-needs to! I want to help but, I-it’s like I can’t even touch her...”

 

He didn’t know what to say to that. He just sighed, feeling his own eyes burning a bit. “I know…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been so long! I’ve just been trying to work on another fic of mine, plus I’ve been pretty busy. But, I really do enjoy working on this, so I hope I can get back to it! Sorry this one was kind of shorter, but this seemed like the best place to cut it.


	4. An Inexplicable Bond

The morning after Emmeryn left was the most awkward thing Robin had ever had the misfortune to experience. Even in his past life, whatever it may be, he was completely certain he’d never reached this level of discomfort. Did things as uncomfortable as this exist? Could they exist? He had no evidence supporting that possibility. 

 

The only thing that came close was the previous night, when they’d trudged towards Ferox once more and Maribelle had faked fainting to convince Chrom to stop for the night. She insisted she just felt exhausted, but Robin could see right through her. She knew Lissa would worry and beg Chrom to stop for the night, and that Lissa was the only one Chrom might listen to in such a state. She was clever, he would give her that much. 

 

But, a night’s rest seemed all Chrom was willing to give, and the entire camp was awoken at an unholy hour by a shouting match between him and Lissa. 

 

“We have to hurry and get reinforcements! Every second Em stays there alone is a second less she has to live!”

 

“Then you go alone! You’re the leader of the Shepherds, you can’t just drag them wherever you want without any regard for their wellbeing!”

 

“Emmeryn is more important than anyone else! She’s the Exalt- she’s our sister! We can rest once she’s safe!”

 

“A lot of them got hurt yesterday, Chrom! Do you think Emmeryn would appreciate it if you sacrificed the lives of others for hers?”

 

For once, Robin was truly grateful for Frederick, as he started making breakfast as the two royals squabbled. It was reassuring to know someone was helping in this situation, and that there was at least someone keeping their mind clear. He figured it might be good to help Frederick, at very least to get his own mind off of the fact two of his closest friends seemed ready to strangle each other. 

 

“May I help?”, he offered, slipping next to Frederick. “I can cook the eggs!”

 

Frederick glanced over at him and slid a knife over to him. “Cut up the potatoes. That’s about all I trust you to do in the kitchen.”

 

Robin’s chest writhed. “Frederick, I know you don’t trust me, but-”

 

“No, it’s not that,” he was assured as Frederick flipped over a piece of ham in the skillet. “You’ve proved your trustworthiness many times over. We’ve fought Plegians, and if you were associating with them, you would have turned on us by now. But rather, you helped lead us to victory. It seems you are an asset to our group.”

 

“R-really?” Robin felt warm hearing that. “Thank you so much. That really means a lot to me, coming from you! But…” He glanced down at the pile of potatoes, which had been very cleanly peeled. “Why don’t you want me to help cook, then?”

 

Did that make Frederick laugh? That seemed to be the noise he heard… “Simple: you are bad at it.”

 

“Excuse me?” Robin glared down at the potatoes. “How would you know? I haven’t even cooked for you!”

 

“You made tea a few days ago,” Frederick elaborated. “It was abysmal enough to make me distrust ingesting anything you’ve handled. But, I don’t think chopping potatoes can ruin anything but the aesthetic appeal of the dish.”

 

Huffing, Robin took the knife and started on chopping up the potatoes, doing it as evenly as humanly possible. “Chrom said my tea was good,” he mumbled. 

 

“As much as I admire Lord Chrom, I believe his tastebuds aren’t fully functional. That or he just meant to spare your feelings.”

 

Robin fell silent and just tried to focus on the potatoes. He could still hear Chrom and Lissa yelling, and other voices had joined in. Ricken seemed to have taken Chrom’s side, while Miriel of all people was supporting Lissa. He glanced up for a moment; Lon’qu was there as well, seemingly trying to offer to go ahead and talk to the Khans while the others rested, and Sumia seemed to be trying to butt in but couldn’t quite get a word in. 

 

“Ah-!” A sudden pain surged through his hand. The knife had nicked his hand, leaving a small cut and a bit of blood, a few drops of which had gotten onto the potatoes. Frederick glanced over before sighing and shoving all the potatoes into the waste bin. Robin fully expected to be chastised for ruining the food, but Frederick didn’t say a word. 

 

“Aren’t you mad at me?”, Robin questioned. “I couldn’t even cut potatoes without ruining it!”

 

The knight just sighed. “No, it’s not your fault. I can hardly concentrate today either. I shouldn’t have asked you to handle a sharp object over all this commotion. Would you mind going to fetch Lon’qu?”

 

Robin blinked. “Lon’qu? Why him?”

 

“He’s level headed and good with blades,” Frederick explained. “Not to mention he’s helped me making breakfast before, and he’s very skilled with potatoes.”

 

“Alright? Uh, do you need anything else?”, Robin asked, looking down at his hand. A bit of blood was pooling at the surface of the cut. He should probably find a bandage before too long, or maybe get Maribelle or Lissa to help if they ever shut up. 

 

Frederick looked at him for a moment before sighing. “Yes, actually. Whenever he’s calmed himself, could you just… talk to Chrom? Not about Emmeryn, of course, but just about something to get his mind off of all of this?”

 

“M-me?”, Robin sputtered out. “Why me? Y-you’ve known him for ages! I just showed up a few weeks ago!”

 

“And yet, Chrom is quite at ease around you,” Frederick stated, a hint of bitterness in his voice. “While I may be his steward, you are his friend, which makes you far better suited to the task of helping him now.”

 

“He has a lot of friends,” Robin countered, holding the cut on his hand close. “Ricken, Sully, Sumia, Vaike…”

 

As he pulled a pan of toast out of the oven, Frederick shook his head. “No, there is a very important difference between them and yourself. They all know him as Prince Chrom. Friends though they may be, even if they don’t show it, they are well aware that Chrom is above them in standing. But you knew him first as simply Chrom, and even now, hardly treat him like a prince. It seems to me that Chrom appreciates that greatly. After all, before you, Vaike was his closest friend, and he certainly cared the least that he was royalty.”

 

“You have a point,” Robin admitted. He still struggled to see Chrom as regal after all, but if he’d known he was from the start? Well, perhaps it would be harder to forget about it when talking to him. “But… wait, closest… friend? You really think I’m his closest friend?”

 

“Do you not?”, Frederick questioned, putting another tray of buttered bread in the oven. 

 

Robin paused. “I… I’m not sure, actually. I would like to be, but I know I’m a bit suspicious, a bit awkward, and…” He bit his tongue before adding “a bit smitten”. “Well, I just don’t know if I’m worth that title.”

 

“Exactly!”, Frederick exclaimed, clapping his oven-mitted hands together. “A complete stranger in the garb of a Plegian noble shows up, claiming to have amnesia, and instead of questioning your intentions for a moment, Lord Chrom instantly takes to you. And no matter who tries to convince him otherwise, he defends you at every turn. There is only one explanation, and that is that he highly values you as a friend. Like it or not, that is your role to play in all of this, so I implore you to use it well.”

 

A strange burning started to pull at Robin’s eyes. “He really cares about me that much?”, he asked, throat feeling raw. 

 

“Of course!”, Frederick was back to his normal glaring. “He adores you, as foolish as you both may be. Now, let’s stop wasting time and start making progress. Go get Lon’qu, and use your status to get milord in a better state!”

 

He was pushed out of the tent and back out into the chaos of the warfare outside. Lissa had started to cry, and it seemed Maribelle was a split second away from murdering Chrom. “You are an absolute imbecile!”, she shrieked at the prince. “Stahl and Panne both aren’t in a state fit enough to walk, and yet you dare ask them to throw their lives away for your own folly?”

 

“What am I supposed to do, Maribelle?”, Chrom shouted back, voice cracking. “Em- Em is g-going to get hurt! I- we can’t l-lose her…”

 

“How d-do you think she must be feeling!”, Lissa countered through sobs. “She’s h-had to watch us b-both fight to protect her and get hurt o-ourselves twice in the p-past week! Y-you’d only make th-things harder on her b-by not honoring her choice!”

 

Chrom didn’t respond. He just walked away, back towards his tent in silence. Without a second thought, Robin rushed after him. 

 

By the time Chrom noticed him there, he was already opening his own tent and stepping in. “R-Robin…”, he mumbled, refusing to look at him. “I- I’m fine. I just… don’t wanna talk about any of this right now.”

 

“I know,” Robin assured him. “I just thought maybe you’d like some company.”

 

Before he could even react, Robin found himself engulfed in a big hug. Chrom was sobbing into his shoulder, and all Robin could do was rub gentle circles on his back. “Let’s sit on the bed,” Robin suggested. “It’ll be more comfortable than just standing in the doorway.”

 

Chrom released him and sat down on his bed. With the moment’s hesitation that comes from realizing you’re in your crush’s bedroom for the first time, Robin sat down beside him. “I know this is hard,” Robin reassured him, taking his hand. “But, we’re gonna be alright. You aren’t alone, Chrom, and you won’t ever be. The Shepherds all adore you! We’re your family too, and families take care of each other, right?”

 

His friend sniffled. “I- I mean, I guess… Mom and dad never did much, but Emm’s always looked out for me, a-and I try to do my best for Lissa when she isn’t putting field mice in my pillow…”

 

Robin couldn’t help but laugh a bit at that last part. “Well, I wouldn’t know either… Frederick said my clothes looked like Plegian royalty but, like, I don’t remember any of that.”

 

With a thoughtful hum, Chrom turned to look at him, and Robin prayed that his cheeks weren’t as red as they felt under his gaze. “Well, to be quite honest, I’ve never met a Plegian noble besides King Asshead- what’s his name again? Gangrel? And from what I heard, he wasn’t born into nobility so I don’t think that’s what he meant. But, I mean, it wouldn’t shock me if you were. You’re clearly well educated, especially in magic and strategy, so it’s likely you’re from a well off family. But, it’s just as likely you were raised in the clergy. Like, that mark on your hand looks like some stuff from the religions lessons we took. I was garbage at it, but Lissa was fascinated by it.”

 

“The… clergy?”, Robin repeated. That did make a lot of sense, actually. Maybe he’d learned magic at a Plegian church, or something like that. “Maybe that’s why I don’t remember family or anything. Like, maybe I was an orphan taken in by a kindly old priest and taught magic!”

 

Chrom nodded. “I read a book like that once. A long lost prince was taken in by a priest because of a mysterious mark he had, and was taught to be a powerful mage and clever tactician!”

 

“I like that story,” Robin mused. “Maybe that’s what I am.”

 

Suddenly, Chrom stood up and rushed over to a chest at the foot of his bed. “I think I still have the book, actually! It was one of the only ones our literature tutor made us read that I actually liked.” He rooted through the chest for a minute before pulling out a very thick book. “Aha! Here! I think there’s a sequel too, but this is the first one.”

 

He set it on Robin’s lap, and he glanced down at the cover. “The Blue-Flame Hero and the Black Knight? Sounds interesting.”

 

“It’s pretty great,” Chrom assured him. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to reread it myself…”

 

An idea struck Robin. “I could read out loud, maybe. Then we can both read it.”

 

“Sounds like a lot of fun!”, Chrom exclaimed. 

 

As they both settled in, Robin felt relief flooding his mind. He’d managed to get Chrom’s mind off of Emmeryn, if only for a moment. Maybe he really was all that Frederick had said he was. 

 

“Prologue,” he read. “Mercenaries. ‘The light of the sun shone in Ike’s eyes as he rushed towards his father, swinging his practice sword…’”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been a while, to say the least. To be quite honest, I sort of forgot about this story until I checked back this morning after getting a comment on this and saw it had a crap ton of likes and bookmarks. I didn't think I'd be able to continue this after so long, but to my shock, a new chapter came to me pretty easily. Hopefully I won't forget about this again so it'll be before next year when I get another chapter up.


	5. Quite Contrary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, it didn't take me a year to write another chapter. I got it done in two days, in fact! Anyways, Robin isn't the sole POV character for this story. I've had at least three planned from the start, but might be more as it goes along. So, here's Maribelle, in all her glory.

Maribelle didn’t know why she became a healer. Or well, she did know why, but it was a silly reason. As with most things she did, it was because of Lissa. Even when she was small, before she even had a concept of what a lesbian was, she knew that she couldn’t bear to be apart from her most darling friend. So, when Lissa told her excitedly that the nuns of the Naga’s Light priory had agreed to teach her how to heal people, Maribelle declared she would be going too without a second thought. 

 

While Lissa took to healing magic instantly, Maribelle never stopped feeling sick whenever she saw an open wound. She instead threw herself into studying anything else but healing. She was good at horseback riding, religious theory, and philosophy, but she couldn’t throw herself into studying magic like her darling Lissa. Perhaps that was why she started studying law when she got home- even if she couldn’t help people as directly as a skilled healer could, she could at least help people not get screwed over by the legal system. 

 

And yet, here she was, in the middle of a troupe of soldiers, having volunteered to tend to the two most heavily wounded soldiers from yesterday’s battle. Lissa was so much better at this, but she was busy talking with Lon’qu, Robin, and Frederick about how best to proceed. That wasn’t even her job, but Chrom had refused to partake in it, saying he wasn’t fit to help at the moment. While yes, that was definitely true, it was still very inconvenient, not to mention rude of him to put it on Lissa.

 

“Maribelle, are you okay?”, Stahl asked her as she attempted to change his bandages without looking at them at all. “You look like you’re about to be sick.”

 

“I- I am quite alright,” she insisted. “Only tired, that’s all. Um, have I gotten all of the bandages?”

 

Stahl nodded. “I think you have. Thank you!”

 

A sigh of relief left her mouth involuntarily. It was halfway done; she just needed to change Panne’s and she would be able to leave. “Um, so, miss Panne, your turn.”

 

The Taguel shook her head. “I’m able to dress my own wounds, thank you.”

 

“A-are you sure?” As relieved as she was, Maribelle knew good and well it wasn’t proper to show that. “I can at very least use my staff.”

 

In response, Panne held up a half full bottle of some concoction of what she could only guess was various herbs, ground into a fine paste. “No need. I’ve been putting this on them; it’s helped a lot. They’re hardly even scars now.”

 

“Oh? What is that, anyways?”, Maribelle questioned. “I don’t know much about Taguel medicine, but I would love to learn!”

 

“As would I,” Panne stated flatly. “But, this is human made, I believe. That swordswoman Marth gave this to me.”

 

“Oh? Did she?” She remembered Marth saying Panne was trustworthy when she came to their assistance, but she wasn’t aware they’d been familiar with each other. “Do you know her?”

 

Panne put the bottle down on the bedside table. “No, I wouldn’t say so. She simply came up to me after the battle and handed this to me. She said she’d been asked to give it to me. Didn’t say by who, but considering it helped, I’d assume it wasn’t by someone with bad intentions.”

 

“How strange,” Maribelle mused. “Do you think she-”

 

She was cut off by Stahl, who was trying and failing to grab Panne’s bottle with a grimace on his face. “C-could I have a look at that?”, Stahl asked. “N-not to use, but my family runs an apothecary, so maybe I could figure out where that’s from, at least? Or at least what it’s made of so we can make more.”

 

“Go ahead,” Panne said, standing up and handing it to him. “You can use it as well if you’d like; I’m sure whoever wanted me to have it wouldn’t mind it being shared.”

 

Stahl beamed, and began peeling back the bandages Maribelle had just applied. She couldn’t help but be annoyed- why couldn’t Panne have mentioned that before she had to look at all that blood? Despite looking away as he used the salve, she could hear him sniffing at it. 

 

“I recognize this,” he said after a moment and nearly going through the entire bottle. “It’s imported from Valm- specifically Rosanne, I think? We sometimes would get a few bottles of this from an Anna, but it was always kind of pricey, and usually only royal knights and the like would ever buy it from us.”

 

Panne frowned. “Well, I don’t know anyone from Valm. Do you think maybe that Marth girl is from there?”

 

“Maybe!”, Stahl exclaimed. “She could have had some on her and wanted to share!”

 

“No, that isn’t possible,” Maribelle asserted. 

 

Both of her patients looked at her in confusion. “It isn’t?”, Panne asked. “How would you know?”

 

“Simple: her name is Marth! I doubt that’s her real name, but if she was from Valm, it’s very unlikely she would use

or have such a name. Marth isn’t a well known figure over there.” 

 

“I mean, she could have just picked up the name over here,” Panne countered. 

 

“Or maybe she had a parent from Ylisse?”, Stahl suggested. 

 

Maribelle sighed. “Alright, perhaps not impossible, but unlikely. I’ve heard there’s a famous hero in Valmese folklore who wore a mask, so I think it would be more likely for her to take his name, all things considered.”

 

Stahl hummed thoughtfully before asking something that made Maribelle die a bit inside. “Well, isn’t Virion from Rosanne? Maybe he would know something about Marth, or at least where she got the bottle!”

 

She felt relieved when Panne groaned. “Do we have to talk to him? I don’t like how he looks at me.”

 

“Well, I’m certainly not going to talk to him!”, Maribelle exclaimed. “He’s insufferable, and I do not want to associate with him! It isn’t as if this Marth business is an emergency, so I absolutely refuse to stoop so low as to ask him for help.”

 

“Geeze, sorry,” Stahl muttered. “I mean, I don’t like him either, but I thought you would, Maribelle, seeing as you’re both all proper and all...”

 

“I beg your pardon?” She shuddered. “A- are you insinuating th-that vile man might be my type?”

 

Stahl looked away, gulping. “I- I’m sorry! It was just a guess…”

 

She tried to restrain herself. Stahl wasn’t at fault for thinking such things- her parents would have probably said the same. Still, she couldn’t help but be a bit upset. “Well, you guessed wrong!”, she exclaimed, nails digging into the palm of her hand. “He is the complete opposite of my type, in fact!” 

 

“So what, your type would be… Vaike?”, Stahl guessed. 

 

Maribelle laughed. “Oh heavens, no! Frankly, I would rather die than court such a man.”

 

“What… is your type, then?” Stahl frowned, seemingly frustrated.

 

A lump formed in her throat. She was never good at this question… While she was sure Panne wouldn’t care either way, she certainly didn’t want to tell her little secret to Stahl, considering how dense he had proven himself to be just in the past hour. 

 

Oh! But she did have an answer to this! She’d nearly forgotten her little plan with Robin throughout all the chaos, but she did need to spread that rumor somehow, right?

 

She put on a smirk, trying to force herself to look prideful. “Well, let’s just say I’ve been seeing someone.”

 

“You have?”, Stahl questioned. “Since when?”

 

“Oh, not for long,” she trilled. “But I must say, Robin is quite a dear.”

 

“Robin… which one is that again?”, Panne questioned. “The blonde one you’re always hovering around?”

 

Instinctually, Maribelle covered her mouth with her hand. If they noticed her blushing, that would undo all of this! 

 

Luckily, Stahl spoke for her. “N-no! That’s Princess Lissa you’re thinking of! Robin is the white haired man.”

 

“Oh,” Panne said, looking rather pointedly at Maribelle. It seemed she had something of a Sapphic Sense herself, considering the raised, questioning eyebrow. 

 

“Y-yes,” Maribelle added, trying to regain composure. “Though my darling Lissa is lovely beyond words, I’m afraid she is also both far above my station and, well, a woman.”

 

Panne frowned. “Oh, I forgot. Humans are particular about that. I never understood that; it seems silly.”

 

“It is,” Maribelle agreed. “But, it is also beside the point. Though, speaking of Lissa, would you both please be a dear and not tell her about me and Robin?”, she requested. “I want to be the one to tell her myself, and considering all that she’s going through right now, I feel this isn’t the best time.”

 

“Of course!”, Stahl exclaimed. “I’m really happy for you both, by the way. I’m glad you two worked out your differences and really like each other!”

 

“Uh, yeah,” Panne added, still clearly not buying it. “I hope you both are happy.”

 

Maribelle glanced out of the slit of the tent. “Right! Um… I- I should go. Still a lot of work to do around here! You two take care of yourselves, please!”

 

She started to run out, before Stahl called back to her. “Hey! You forgot your staff!”

 

Gulping, she rushed back in to grab it without a word. She felt as if she needed to scream into a pillow! Pretending to be in love with Robin was much harder than she’d expected, and he wasn’t even with her that time! Perhaps she should have thought things through more before committing to this plan. Still, if it could get Lissa’s attention, it would all be worth it in the-

 

“Maribelle!”, a lovely and familiar voice called. She turned to see Lissa running towards her, smiling for the first time since the battle yesterday. “How are Stahl and Panne doing?”

 

“Actually, they’ve made a significant recovery!”, Maribelle reported. “Marth had given Panne some sort of salve that was able to make quick work of their injuries. It’s imported from Rosanne, so please tell Frederick to place an order for some next time we see an Anna!”

 

Lissa beamed, filling her chest with warmth. “That’s wonderful! So, we can head back out first thing tomorrow!”

 

“Oh? I thought you were against that!”

 

“Well, I was, until Robin came up with a good plan!”, Lissa exclaimed. “If we go through Ferox, any invading forces won’t notice what’s up until it’s too late! They’ll think we’re Feroxi and be worried about taking us on, since like, no one can take Feroxi troops on directly. Plus, that way we can get the backup Khan Flavia promised us!”

 

That was actually pretty clever, all things considered… “I’m quite impressed! Robin really is quite a good tactician. Plus, it should keep us out of combat for a bit longer…”

 

“Mmhm! And then we’ll be able to help Em!”

 

“Yes… well, I suppose that means we have the rest of the day to do as we please,” Maribelle mused. “And you haven’t had a thing to eat today, so I’ll make us some tea and sandwiches!”

 

Lissa laughed. “Aw, Mari, you’re such a worrywart. That sounds great, though! Do we have those biscuits you like?”

 

“I’m not sure, but I made sure to put a tin of your favorite gingersnaps in my luggage,” Maribelle said, grinning. 

 

She was hugged, and she felt as if the whole world was shining with light. “You’re too good for me, Maribelle,” Lissa mumbled into her shoulder. 

 

Maribelle pulled her closer. “Nothing is too good for you, my dear.”


	6. A Bright and Cold Sky

Sumia hadn’t slept at all the night before, despite knowing perfectly well she needed to. A good night’s sleep always was the best way to deal with a long trip into a foreign land, especially when she needed to be on high alert, but sleep just wouldn’t come. Worries and fears just kept piling up until she had no choice but to light a candle to read and pray she wouldn’t wake Sully or Miriel on accident. Because, even if the world around her was spinning wildly, it was reassuring to know her favorite tales were just as they always were. 

 

Still, it didn’t help her much in the morning, since they had to leave early, and she was on lookout duty. Most of the soldiers with mounts- herself, Cordelia, Sully, and Stahl- would be going ahead, making sure everything was safe for the rest of their troop to go ahead. And, since she was now one of three Pegasus Knights left in Ylisse, it was her job to fly up above and keep a careful eye on everything below, in case some ambush was lying in wait once again. 

 

But, hey, it couldn’t be too bad! Cordelia couldn’t keep avoiding talking to her when they were doing the same job, right?

 

To be honest, she should have known better than to underestimate Cordelia’s ability to avoid talking, as she quickly flew far ahead of any of the rest of them, higher than she’d ever taken Bella. She didn’t feel safe going that high, considering she’d only been riding Bella for all of two weeks, so she resigned to leading her dear Pegasus over the path the cavaliers were taking, glancing around, trying not to yawn. 

 

She wasn’t sure how long it was before Sully called her down. “Sumia! You got a minute?”, she shouted into the sky. Sully had fallen behind Stahl, which could only be intentional, considering usually she had to make an effort to not leave him behind. 

 

“D-down, girl!”, she commanded her mount. Bella stepped down gracefully, and Sumia patted her mane. “Good girl! You’re doing wonderful today! Here…” She dug into her satchel, pulling out a sugar cube she’d stashed in there, before offering it to her Pegasus. “You deserve a treat!”

 

Sully smiled sideways at her. “You’re really doing great with her, you know?”

 

Sumia felt her cheeks heat up. “Aww, thank you! I’m doing my very best!”

 

“Well, it shows,” Sully assured her. “I always knew you’d be a great knight.”

 

“Gosh, Sully! That means so much coming from you!” Sumia felt like she was walking on air, even more than when her mount actually was. “I mean, you’re the best knight out there, so-“

 

She was cut off by a laugh. “Please, you flatter me too much. I’m pretty good, but I’m not half as good with a sword as Stahl, and I don’t have anywhere near the commanding presence of Frederick. You can call me that when I’m without equal, alright?”

 

“Well, I’m sure you’ll get there before long,” Sumia said, looking at the ground. “You’ve been amazing since we were little, and you’re still amazing now…” 

 

“Geeze, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to flirt me up!”, Sully exclaimed. 

 

Burning heat consumed her cheeks. “Oh, n-no!”, Sumia stuttered out. “I- I’m not, I just-“

 

“Relax,” Sully assured her. “I’m just teasing you. But, speaking of flirting, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

 

“Oh.” Sumia looked back up at the sky. Cordelia was barely visible; just a faint white blob far above them. “Y-yeah…” 

 

Sully followed her gaze. “She’s really something, isn’t she? Looks like an angel, but with the strength of ten demons. No wonder you’re smitten.”

 

“Y-yeah…”, she mumbled. “I- I can’t help it, though I would give anything to stop it.”

 

“Oh please.” Sully rolled her eyes. “Enough with this quitter talk, she loves you!”

 

Sumia sighed, hugging Bella as she leaned forward. “She loves me, but not like I love her… She’s not even in to girls!”

 

“I mean, I wouldn’t worry about that if I were you,” Sully countered. “I don’t think necessarily she’s straight, just has a really one track mind. She gets fixated on the thing in front of her, and she sorta… tunnel visions, I guess.”

 

“That sounds like her,” Sumia muttered. “But I don’t get what that has to do with my feelings; it’s not like she’s about to get her sights off Chrom anytime soon…”

 

Sully looked at her with same intensity she wore when sparring. “Sumia, I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you’ve gotta get your head out of your ass.”

 

“H-huh?”

 

“You heard me!”, Sully exclaimed. “You keep moving around about whether or not Cordelia’s gonna love you back, and you’re forgetting that either way, she still adores you with all her heart! Even if it doesn’t work out like you want it to, don’t worry about that. Fact is, you’re still the only one who can get her to get out of her own head!”

 

“I- I am?”, Sumia stammered. “B-but-“

 

“No buts! You’re her best friend, and about the only one she’ll listen to right now!”

 

Sumia felt her chest tightening. “Sh-she isn’t listening to me, though… She’s been avoiding me ever since she joined up with us…”

 

“Then chase after her!”, Sully shouted, loud enough that she could see Stahl flinch from all the way in front of them. “She’s right up there, Sumia, and you’ve gotta go get her!”

 

“B-but I’ve never flown that high!”, Sumia shrieked. 

 

Sully groaned. “Stop doubting yourself! You won’t be able to reach your dreams if you don’t take some risks! Didn’t you used to watch the Pegasus Knights flying high and say you wished you could be up there with them?”

 

Sumia nodded weakly. 

 

“Exactly! And now you’re the third best Pegasus Knight in Ylisse, so you damn well better act like it!”

 

“Y-you’re right…”, Sumia forced out. “I- I need to be brave. Bella, I need you to fly beside Cordelia and her Pegasus, alright?”

 

Her steed whinnied and started to step back up into the air, flapping her wings. Sumia clutched her reigns tight, trying not to panic or look down. She could do this… For Cordelia…

 

She approached her side soon enough, heart catching in her throat. Her friend still hadn’t noticed her; her eyes were locked to the ground, scanning around frantically. “C-Cordelia!”, she cried, shouting above the roar of the wind. 

 

That almost seemed to startle Cordelia. She jumped a bit, gripping tightly to her reigns as she looked around herself before her eyes settled on Sumia and her face softened. “Oh, Sumia… It’s just you…”

 

“I didn’t mean to scare you! Sorry…”

 

Cordelia sighed. “No, it’s fine. I just… sorry.”

 

“No need to apologize,” Sumia assured her. “I understand.”

 

The two of them flew together in silence for a moment, Cordelia staring into the distance with a relaxed smile on her face. “Thank you,” Cordelia added after a moment. “I guess I’ve just been a bit jumpy.”

 

“Anyone would be,” Sumia said as softly as she could with the wind as loud as it was. “You don’t need to say anything, alright? I just want you to know I’m here for you, and you aren’t alone.”

 

“I know,” Cordelia replied. “You’re always here for me. But, I didn’t want to burden you with all my baggage.”

 

“It’s no burden!”, Sumia exclaimed. “As your friend, it’s my honor to help you carry that!”

 

A small laugh drifted through the air. “You’re too good, Sumia. How did I get so fortunate as to gain the friendship of an angel from the very heavens themselves?”

 

Her cheeks started burning, and she looked down, not wanting Cordelia to see how flustered she was. “Gosh, Cordelia, I could say the same to you…” Her eyes scanned the landscapes as she tried to formulate a proper sentence. “I’m luckier than anyone, getting to-“

 

She stopped as smoke caught her eye. “Cordelia, um, down there… Do you see that?” She pointed towards the smoke, and Cordelia’s eyes followed. 

 

“What… what is that?” Cordelia guided her Pegasus’ reigns and led it to descend. Sumia tried to follow but had to say “down, Bella” to achieve the same effect. Cordelia gasped a bit as they got closer. “That’s a village down there! It must be under attack!”

 

Sumia gulped. “Wh-what do we do? We’re supposed to hurry to Ferox, but…”

 

“You go tell Chrom what’s going on, I’ll get a closer look,” Cordelia ordered. Sumia just nodded and turned Bella around, rushing towards the others. 

 

The rest of the Shepherds seemed startled by her sudden descent, which considering the last time a Pegasus Knight had rushed towards them, was rather understandable. “What’s going on?”, Frederick questioned as she landed. “Ambush? Plegian troops spotted?”

 

“Th-there’s a village up ahead being attacked!”, Sumia explained. “I couldn’t see who was doing it, but we have to help them!”

 

Frederick shook his head. “If it’s Plegians, we could risk jeopardizing our entire plan. We can’t- for gods’ sake, Chrom, where are you going?”

 

Chrom had already started rushing off. “Which way is the village, Sumia?”, he questioned, completely ignoring Frederick. 

 

Sumia looked up and around. She could see the smoke, though it was faint and blended into clouds. “That way!” She pointed towards it. 

 

“Alright! Everyone, let’s go!” Chrom rushed off that way, Robin and Lissa following him. 

 

Frederick sighed deeply. “He never listens, does he?”

 

“I mean, isn’t it good for a prince to care so much about protecting people?”, Sumia countered. 

 

“Yes, but not to the exclusion of all other duties, as he’s so prone to doing…” Frederick looked back at the others, who were looking around confusedly. “Well, regardless, I’ll tell everyone we’ve got a skirmish to deal with. You ride ahead and make sure Lord Chrom doesn’t get himself killed.”

 

“Y-you got it!”, Sumia exclaimed. “Um, up, Bella!”

 

Her Pegasus reared up and took flight. “G-go towards the smoke!”, Sumia directed. Bella hesitated, as if trying to find the smoke. “Er, that way!” She pointed ahead, towards the smoke. That seemed to do the job, as Bella sped that way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, Sumia is pov 3. It took a bit to figure out where exactly to split this chapter, but I think this is a good place to do it. 
> 
> Also, I didn't come up with the name Bella for Sumia's Pegasus; unused name strings in Awakening's code references a character named "Bella" that's listed alongside Cherche's wyvern Minerva, so my guess is that's Sumia's Pegasus's name. It sounds like the kind of name Sumia would give, plus her's is the only other really plot relevant steed.


	7. Thunderstruck

She found Cordelia fighting a Risen, charging at it lance-first atop her Pegasus. But, they were still not too close to the village; was this a second wave of them attacking? Sumia glanced around the snow-dusted field, a shiver running through her. It seemed the Risen weren’t running towards the village, but away from it? What was going on?

 

Before she could call out to Cordelia to ask, she spotted a Risen archer, staring down her friend with its dead, glowing eyes. Before she could hardly think, Sumia pulled on Bella’s reigns and charged towards the foe, slashing her spear around wildly. 

 

A sick noise, somewhere between a cry and a moan came from the undead archer as it crumbled to dust. Cordelia looked up, her own target doing the same. “Sumia! Thank you!”

 

“N-no problem!” she forced out, wind in her face as she directed her steed to move closer to Cordelia. “It would have been bad if that archer hit you…” 

 

Cordelia nodded. “Well, it would have been bad if it hurt you too. You aren’t hurt, are- ah, there’s another one!”

 

A soldier holding a lance was moving towards them. “Back me up,” Cordelia ordered. Sumia nodded and directed Bella to follow her lead. The two of them took to the air, circled around the foe, and landed their spears in it effortlessly. 

 

Sumia looked around once more. “There’s an axe fighter over there!”, she reported, Bella rearing up as she changed directions. “Think we can take him?”

 

All Cordelia added was following her lead as she rushed towards it. Sumia tried to push her hair out of her face with the hilt of her lance as she readied it for an attack. The Risen didn’t seem to notice them, instead looking towards the village, a bright flash of light catching its attention. 

 

Taking a deep breath, Sumia thrust her lance into the axe fighter, with Cordelia throwing her javelin into it as well. It looked towards them, staggering as Sumia reared back for the killing blow. 

 

Ashes scattered across the landscape, quickly becoming impossible to distinguish from the snow. Sumia sighed. “That was a good one, Cordelia!”

 

“Thank you,” Cordelia replied, coming up next to her. “But, perhaps we should get closer to the village? I think I saw someone casting Lightning magic over there.”

 

“Oh? But Robin’s behind us!” Sumia exclaimed. “Then, maybe it’s one of the villagers.”

 

Cordelia shrugged. “Either way, they probably need backup.”

 

Sumia nodded in agreement. “Forwards, Bella!” They flew closer to the village together, where there was a woman with many heavy looking bags strapped to her back and a strange, jagged sword charging at a Risen on horseback with heavy armor. A pang of shock struck her heart as she realized she’d seen many such armored calvalrymen like that in the Ylissean Royal Guard. Had this monster once been one of them?

 

“That guy looks tough,” Cordelia noted. “Here, take this.” 

 

Sumia found an oddly shaped red lance being placed gently in her hand. “Huh?”

 

“It’s a Beast Killer,” Cordelia explained. “I grabbed it while sorting through the armory. It should take that Great Knight down easily!”

 

She’d heard about those! They were rare, but could cut through horses like butter. “Sorry about this,” she mumbled as she put her normal lance away and charged forward with the Beast Killer. Hopefully that horse was undead too… 

 

Well, given it crumbled alongside its rider after she slashed at it, and Cordelia stuck her steel lance in the Risen’s neck, she could assume it was. She panted as her steed landed. “A-are you alright?”, she asked the woman, who was looking towards the village gates. 

 

“Hm? Oh, me?” As the woman turned to face her, Sumia recognized her features instantly. She was unmistakably an Anna, probably one who’d been visiting that village to sell her wares. “Oh, no worries, I’ve got this.” 

 

Now that she was closer, she could see that jagged sword better. It was shaped like a lightning bolt and pulsing with yellow energy. “What is that?” she questioned. 

 

Anna looked around and glanced over at a distant Risen. She plunged her blade into the ground and a lightning bolt fell from the sky and into the Risen. “Levin Sword,” she explained casually. “Pretty cool, isn’t it?”

 

“Uh, yeah… are there any more Risen around?” Cordelia asked. 

 

“You tell me; you’re the one who can fly up and look!”

 

Cordelia made a strange little noise, almost like an embarrassed squeak, before taking to the skies once more. Bella followed her before Sumia could even order her to do so. They both glanced around, Cordelia’s eyes fixing on a spot before Sumia noticed anything. The other Shepherds below were tiny dots, but they seemed to be picking off some stragglers as Sully approached them. 

 

“Let’s go help the others,” Cordelia suggested. Sumia stuttered out a “right” as she tried to blow a few strands of hair out of her mouth, and the two of them dove towards the main battle just in time to see Donnel shove a bronze sword into a Risen with a blade of its own.

 

“Is that all of ‘em?” Donnel asked a nearby Robin, adjusting the pot on his head against the cold wind. 

 

“I think so,” Robin reported. “Nice job; that second seal was a good idea.”

 

“Aw, shucks! Thanks for the sword, Robin!”

 

Robin nodded before looking towards Sumia and smiling. “There you are! I was wondering where you got off to. I guess you met up with Cordelia, huh?”

 

“Mmhm!”, Sumia started before getting cut off. 

 

“She’s an amazing flier,” Cordelia told him. “And a real natural with a spear too!” 

 

Sumia sincerely hoped her red face could be passed off as caused by the windchill. “I- I- I’m nothing compared to you!”, Sumia stuttered out.

 

“Oh please, don’t undersell yourse- where are you two going?”

 

Cordelia pointed at Robin, who was ushering Donnel away. “Oh, uh, just was gonna, er, check on the villagers,” Robin explained, winking at Sumia. She felt her stomach do a flip. Was he telling her to make a move?

 

As the two of them walked away, Cordelia dismounted from her Pegasus. “Sumia, I- I want to tell you something,” Cordelia began. 

 

Heart pounding, Sumia nodded, desperately trying to convince herself Cordelia wasn’t about to say what her mind immediately jumped to. She got off her own Pegasus to be at Cordelia’s eye level- okay, well below it, but still. 

 

“Fighting with you like that… I- I was scared I’d never be able to do something like that, you know?” she started, looking down at the ground, kicking at the snow. 

 

“What do you mean?” Sumia asked. “Something like what?”

 

Cordelia took a deep breath. “You remember watching the Pegasus Knights train with me, right? Back when we were little, and afterwards we’d always try to get Sully and Maribelle to play ‘Minerva and the Whitewings’ with us.”

 

Sumia smiled as she thought of it. They’d always pretend to be the Whitewings and Triangle Attack an evil monster, usually one of her stuffed animals, trying to protect their Princess Minerva. She’d always be Palla since her friends insisted she was the most big sisterly out of them all, while Cordelia would be Minerva, the impossibly amazing princess who’d always swoop in last minute to help them win the day. 

 

A chuckle escaped Cordelia’s lips. “I take it you do, judging from that grin. Anyways, remember how the Pegasus Knights always seemed to move in perfect harmony? I… I thought it would be like that when I joined, but I always felt out of step with the others. Like I didn’t quite belong. Philia said it was because I couldn’t stand to be in formation and felt like I had to show off, but, maybe I just wasn’t quite on the same wavelength as them.”

 

Sumia nodded. “I- I’m sorry if I’m bringing up painful memories…”

 

“No, that’s not it at all!” Cordelia insisted, grabbing Sumia’s hand. It felt like a tempest was whirling through her innards. “I’m saying, when I was fighting with you? It felt like that; like we were in perfect harmony.”

 

“I f-felt it too,” Sumia muttered, putting her other hand on Cordelia’s arm. “It was effortless, almost…”

 

Cordelia’s voice fell to a low whisper. “I know… It was amazing…  _ You’re _ amazing, Sumia.”

 

This was it. Everything seemed to slow to a halt as she gazed into Cordelia’s eyes. She had to say something; she had to speak the truth she’d been holding back for so many years. “Cordelia, nothing has ever made me happier. The truth is, I-”

  
  


“Sumia! Cordelia!” A too familiar voice broke the moment. Cordelia broke away from her in an instant to look towards Chrom, and Sumia’s heart sank. Right, of course she couldn’t tell Cordelia the truth. It was silly of her to think she could when Cordelia’s heart already belonged to Chrom. 

 

“L-Lord Chrom,” Cordelia stuttered. “What do you need?”

 

“Oh, nothing, just wondering where you were,” Chrom reported. “The villagers were asking where the Pegasus Knights who protected them were and I figured that was you guys.”

 

Cordelia looked down. “O-oh, well, p-probably… We hardly did anything, though…”

 

“Nonsense! They said you two took down the strongest of them all! Come on, they wanted to thank you.” He beckoned them to follow him as he went back towards the village. Cordelia did so instantly, leaving Sumia to sigh deeply as she was left trailing behind her. Just when she thought she was finally getting somewhere too…

 

She kicked up snow as she trailed behind them, trying not to cry. Of course she was hopeless, she would always be hopeless! But, that didn’t mean she couldn’t help Cordelia. 

 

Sumia knew what she had to do. She had to get Chrom to fall for her perfect, wonderful friend. She had to be selfless and forfeit her own feelings for Cordelia to be happy. That was what she needed and what she deserved- to get her happily ever after. 

 

Slowing as she neared the village, she let herself listen in on Sully talking to the Anna they’d helped. “So those Risen were running from you, huh?”, Sully questioned. 

 

Anna giggled. “Well, let’s just say I’ve had a lot of experience trying to get people away from my wares. Getting them away from my customers isn’t too different!” 

 

Sully seemed enthralled. “I bet! Say, you have the time for a sparring match later? I’d like to see your skills up close and personal.”

 

Yep. Sully was smitten. Anna seemed to realize this since she moved a bit closer. “Oh, I’d love to, but I hardly think we have the time; aren’t you with the Prince there?”

 

“You… aren’t wrong…”, Sully muttered. 

 

Sumia had an idea. If she couldn’t have success today, at least Sully could, right? “We are!” Sumia butted in. “We’re part of a small group of Ylissean forces on a top secret mission!”

 

Anna nodded. “Not surprising, given how you fought!”

 

“Well, you were doing amazing too!” Sumia insisted, ignoring the annoyed glance Sully was throwing her way. “I’m sure you could be a huge help to us.”

 

“Who, me?” Anna looked shocked. “I couldn’t do that! I’m really not much of a fighter; I don’t have formal training, I just know a bit about weapons, that’s all.”

 

“Please, you had a whole band of Risen running for their un-lives!”, Sully countered. “Formal training or not, you have a lot of skill. Besides, you know a lot of good routes to get places, don’t you?”

 

The merchant laughed sheepishly, looking down. “I- I mean, do you really think I could be any help? I- I’m just another Anna, I’m nothing special…”

 

“No, you’re very special,” Sully insisted. “You stepped up to help a place you had no allegiance to just because you were the only one there who knew how to fight. You went up against an entire army by yourself. Someone that brave is incredibly special, and Chrom would be honored to have someone like you on our side.”

 

Anna looked up, smiling. “I- thank you. That’s really kind of you. If your prince will have me, I’m happy to help you!” 

 

“Go ask him, then!”, Sully insisted, pushing her towards the village. “He just went in the gates!”

 

As Anna rushed off, Sully turned to Sumia. “You okay?” she asked. “You look sad.”

 

Sumia tried to say she was fine, but got choked up instead. “I- I-”

 

Sully started to open her arms for a hug before patting her back instead. “Armor hugs kinda hurt. Uh, look, is this about Cordelia?”

 

All she could do was nod through the tears. 

 

“Just because she’s distracted by Chrom doesn’t mean you aren’t right for her, okay?”, Sully reassured her. 

 

“B-but… what if she and Chrom would be happy together?”

 

“Then it’ll happen. Just… please don’t count yourself out yet, alright?”

 

Sumia nodded, but still felt empty. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Mild Canon Divergence” means Anna joins here instead of when her paralogue unlocks because it would be hella awkward for them to interrupt all the Plot ™ to go all the way across the map to pick Anna up and I’m not about to go Anna-less because I love her way too much.


End file.
